


Pavor Nocturnus

by MagnusTesla



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Biological Weapons, Dhampir, Kidnapping, Light Angst, M/M, Naruto AU Week 2021, light gore, vampire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-14 16:35:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29299020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagnusTesla/pseuds/MagnusTesla
Summary: When Iruka finally wakes up to being rescued, he finds the world is not how he left it.A bundle of clothing is dropped on the bed beside him: sweat pants, tee, hoodie, and socks; all of them tattered and frayed and stained with dirt and blood. Iruka’s stomach churns at the implication behind Tobirama bringing him clothing that looks like it had been scavenged off a dead body. “How. Long,” Iruka grits out, tugging on the clothing.“Tell me.”Written for Naruto AU Week 2021 | Day 1: Apocalypse
Relationships: Senju Tobirama/Umino Iruka
Comments: 12
Kudos: 20
Collections: Naruto AU Week 2021





	Pavor Nocturnus

**Author's Note:**

> Very loosely based on an episode from Sanctuary (Pavor Nocturnus, hence the title) and the Resident Evil films.
> 
> I may well write a sequel at some point, too!
> 
> CW: there is some very mild gore mentioned, but it's not super graphic.

“Come on, wake up Iruka—”

Awareness slowly creeps into Iruka’s mind, like a hand reaching into the darkest of corners and slowly tugging him into the light. Someone is saying something, but he can’t quite work out what, the sound distorted. He hears them talking again, and slowly, like wading through thick syrup, Iruka can make sense of the words: someone is calling his name.

There’s a strange disconnect between his brain and body, and no matter how hard he tries, he cannot move at all.

Something pricks at his skin, sharp, and then heat is flooding his veins, lighting up every single nerve as it moves through his body like liquid fire.

“It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

Iruka gasps, eyes fluttering open as finally, his body responds to his commands. He blinks once, twice, eyes adjusting to the light, and feels relief wash over him as his lover’s face comes into view. “You came,” Iruka says, voice raspy from disuse.

Tobirama smiles a rare smile, lips quirking up as he says, “Was there ever any doubt?”

“No,” Iruka admits. He’d never doubted for a second that Tobirama would find him, knew that he would go to the ends of the earth until he found Iruka, brutally cutting down anyone who got in his way. “Where are we?”

“An underground facility.” Tobirama quickly but carefully removes all of the wires dotted across Iruka’s chest before moving on to the cannula in his neck. “We need to get out of here quickly. It’s only a matter of time before those _things_ find us.” 

Iruka hisses at the sting of the cannula being pulled out, pressing a hand to his neck to staunch the sluggish bleeding, his body already healing the small puncture wound.

“How long have I been gone?” The grim expression on Tobirama’s face says it all, and Iruka takes a shuddering breath, nausea washing over him. “It’s been more than a few days, hasn’t it?” 

“There isn’t time for this, Iruka. Put these on.”

A bundle of clothing is dropped on the bed beside him: sweat pants, tee, hoodie, and socks; all of them tattered and frayed and stained with dirt and blood. Iruka’s stomach churns at the implication behind Tobirama bringing him clothing that looks like it had been scavenged off a dead body. “How. Long,” Iruka grits out, tugging on the clothing. _“Tell me.”_

It’s then that he finally sees just how weary Tobirama looks, shoulders sagging as he sighs. “Six months. You’ve been gone for six months.”

For Iruka it feels like it was only yesterday that he was saying goodbye to his friends for the evening as they left his and Tobirama’s apartment. He remembers taking out the trash before bed, then the sting of a needle in his neck and the panic at knowing that for how careful he’d been, _they_ had finally found him.

Pain lances through Iruka’s head, hot and sharp, snatches of memories flashing behind his eyes in quick succession; masked faces staring down at him as they strapped him to a metal table, the sharp bite of a scalpel as his flesh is cut into, and then blood everywhere: spattered over the floor and walls, and thick rivulets dripping down his chin, the taste of iron heavy on his tongue as he gulps it down.

Iruka shakes his head and groans, clutching at his stomach, then gazes directly at Tobirama’s neck, vision changing as his eyes shift, allowing him to see the arteries. “Shit,” he curses, turning his head away and clamping a hand over his mouth.

“Iruka, what’s wrong?” Tobirama takes a step forward, reaching a hand out, but Iruka slaps it away. 

Saliva pools in Iruka’s mouth, hunger and nausea twisting in his stomach painfully. It makes him shake and gag, and before he can answer Tobirama, the man is pulling Iruka’s hand away from his mouth and pressing his own wrist against Iruka’s chapped lips. “Drink,” he demands, voice firm. 

And Iruka does; he sinks elongated fangs into the soft flesh beneath his lips, letting warm blood fill his mouth before gulping it down. The taste bursts on his tongue, and he can’t help the groan that rumbles in his chest as the hunger finally starts to subside.

“Okay?” Tobirama asks, brushing Iruka’s hair back from his face. 

His voice startles Iruka, and he quickly releases Tobirama’s wrist, but not before running his tongue over the puncture marks to close them up. “Fuck, I’m sorry,” Iruka says, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He’d been so weak to the siren song of blood, his hunger pulling him deeper into the depths of his baser instincts, to consume the liquid lifeforce until none remained. “I didn’t mean to take so much, I’m—”

“It’s fine, Iruka. Just help me walk.” Tobirama steadies himself, slinging an arm around Iruka’s shoulder. “We really need to go.”

The facility is silent, save for the hum and flickering of emergency lighting. They quickly make their way through the maze of corridors and up long flights of stairs, carefully avoiding the pools of dried blood and upturned equipment. For all the blood splashed everywhere, there is a distinct lack of bodies, and the thought chills Iruka to the bone. When he’d first been taken, Iruka had seen how his dhampir blood had turned unwilling volunteers into grotesque, feral monsters, only for their bodies to bloat and burst moments later, splattering entrails and chunks of flesh across the glass walls of the examination room. That there are no bodies anywhere in sight could only mean one thing.

Cool air hits Iruka’s face when they finally push open the heavy fire escape doors and step out into the night, but the relief is short-lived.

What used to be a city bustling with life and sprawling with tall buildings was now nothing more than a ghost town, reduced to rubble and overtaken by mother nature.

Guilt sits heavy on Iruka’s chest as he takes in the scene before him. That there are no bodies anywhere could only mean one thing: the perfect living weapon had been engineered from his blood, and it has spared no one.

**Author's Note:**

> Massive thanks to Vulcan for the beta! ♡
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! ♡ I appreciate _every_ single kudos and comment. Your comments fuel me to keep writing!
> 
> Find me on Discord (MagnusTesla#8289) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/MagnusTesla/)


End file.
